Sunday, November 3, 2013

#roadtoIMAZ

T-14 days. Wow. What that means is in two weeks from today,
I will be shuffling my way through Tempe, AZ, mile by mile, towards that finish
line, and this dream of being an Ironman will soon be reality.

The last few weeks have been my longest and hardest training
weeks and as I move into ‘taper time’ I’m ready to let me legs rest. I’ve
gotten to know the farming roads of Batavia where I’ve done many longer rides,
always looking forward to the stops at the Purple Store or the cookies from
Casey’s.I’ve gotten to know the Fox
Valley River trail and seen how pretty it can look in the fall as I run under a
canopy of yellow. I’ve waved at people on the Lake path always wondering what
they are training for this late in the season. With the Chicago marathon over,
there are fewer and fewer of us out there, and I’ve come to enjoy the brisk
weather runs along the lake. There have been century rides, and race simulations,
where it’s a full 8-9 hour training day as I swim, bike and run and dial- in
what my nutrition will be on race day. I’ve learned that the tailgate of my
Honda element is a great place to stretch after a long workout. I’ve eaten more
gels and bonk breaker bars and honey stingers that I care to admit, but know
those are what will get me through all those miles. I’ve learned that biking
when it’s 30 degrees out really is not fun and you can just wave as the drivers
give you crazy looks from their heated cars. I’ve learned that on a long ride
or run, the reminder that I signed up for this and imagining that finish line
can go a long way. I’ve swam miles and miles, and learned that with a 2.4 mile
swim, it’s not how fast you can do it, but it’s staying steady and preparing
for the day ahead. I’ve learned that chicken nuggets taste even better after a
long workout. I’ve talked strategy, I’ve listened to my coach, to my friends
and other Ironmen who have come before me. I’ve been told that the porta
potties will be my friend on the run, and that on that run, it’s just about
putting one foot in front of the other. I’ve been told that IMAZ is one of the
best spectator courses and to let that fuel me along. And the best thing I’ve
learned, is that when I get to that finish chute, I will feel like I am
floating. Whether it’s been a good race, or a bad one, if I’ve crawled my way
to mile 26, somehow I will find my feet again and that it will be one of the
greatest moments of my life. How’s that for inspiration.

I am currently in what we call ‘taper time’. Less volume in
order to let my muscles rest before the big day. Some people love it, but it
can be a challenge as well. When you go from 2 hour runs, to a 45 min run, its
easy to think that you will loose all that you’ve gained these past few months.
Not to mention, the hunger is still there, and it’s hard to cut back on the
eating because you’ve been doing so much of it the past few months. And let’s
be honest, I love food. But. It’s all part of the plan. The training and the
taper, and I will trust in it. It’s my only choice. No more Mcnuggets for me.
Sigh.

I have always thrived on spectators and seeing friends along
the course and am lucky to have a big ‘Team Melissa’ crew, with shirts to
match, that will be there with me. Brian, of course, who has been woken up at
5am way too many times this year as I try my hardest to sneak out the door for
my workouts. He has listened to me talk for hours about this race,
always with
a smile and the gentle encouragement that I can do it. Keri will be
there, a
best friend, an Ironman herself and a training partner who has joined me
on
many a runs and often by my side through any big event. Katz, another
best
friend and Ironman that knows inside and out what it takes to be part of
this
Ironman club. MaryKate, my Dare2tri teammate who lives in AZ, Elaine, an
IMAZ
finisher, CAF volunteer and great friend, Dan Riley, a fellow veteran, a
travel
buddy and triathlete. Coach Stacee won't be there in person but she'll
be with us in spirit. She surprised me with these custom red, white and
blue sunglasses with IMAZ on them. And yes, I'm obsessed. There will be
many CAF
staff and other Challenged athletes, Jean, Nick and Karen, and their
teams who
will all be out there on race day fueling us to keep moving forward.

I have been fortunate to have the support of many
organizations that have helped me either financially or with my training. I
will proudly wear the Cigna logo on my uniform as they not only donated to
Dare2tri but funded much of my training season and journey towards this
Ironman. I was lucky to meet David Cordani, CEO of Cigna at a race early this
year and he has been as generous with his charitable contributions as he is
with his support for me to conquer this race. I am also part of Team Refuel and
their chocolate milk campaign as they work with CAF to help challenged athletes
like myself, Jean, Nick and Karen get to the starting line. And of course
Dare2tri, as I proudly wear our logo in hopes that I will be one person out on
that course inspiring many to keep moving forward. And always a thank you to my
company, Scheck and Siress Prosthetics for their support with my flexible
schedule so I can get in these long training days and still have a life outside
of all the training. And to my friends, who I have talked incessantly about this
race with. Thank you for listening to my successes, my complaints and always
having an open ear. I am so very lucky.

So, the big question... Am I ready? I can confidently say
that, yes, I am ready. Instead of wondering if my training was enough I’m
choosing to believe in the training, and the long hours and believe that I can
do this. I know it will be a tough day. I’m nervous, I’m a little scared but I
am so very excited. Excited for the race. And excited to have a great end to
this very long race season and not see that 5am wake up call.

Nov 17th will be here soon. I will try to write
again but if not, a thank you to all of you who believe in me day after day and
support these crazy dreams of mine. And if all goes as planned, in 2 weeks I
will be an Ironman. And nothing will make me happier.

1 comment:

Hey there #127! I will be competing in IM AZ for my first IM competition as well this Sunday. . . #949. . I'm from Wisconsin and have been following your blog at times. . . you've worked hard for this and you've got it. . . I look forward to seeing you out on the circuit in 5 days! Shelly

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About Me

I am a 34 year old Iraq War Veteran, an above
the knee amputee on my left side, a 2008 Paralympian, a 3x Paratriathlon World Champion, co-founder of Dare2tri Paratriathlon club, a recent Ironman and a new mom! I love the USA and all that it stands for.
@Mstockwell01